The fifth game in the ''Franchise/ProfessorLayton'' series, second of the prequel trilogy, and the first to be on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS. Known as ''Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle'' in Japan.

Professor Layton has been asked to investigate mysterious happenings in the city of Monte d'Or, where the Masked Gentleman, wearing the Mask of Chaos referred to in the title, has been wreaking havoc on the town by causing "miracles" to happen, such as turning people into stone and into horses. Once again, the professor is met with people hiding their fair amount of secrets...

That is, in the present, anyway. The game also has segments involving a high school age Layton, whose experiences in the past are key to solving his present mystery.

Please place series-spanning examples on the main ''Franchise/ProfessorLayton'' page.

Released in Europe on October 26th, and in North America on October 28th, of 2012.----!!This game provides examples of:

* HundredPercentCompletion: You get '''''absolutely''''' nothing for collecting all 40 treasures in the Collection. [[BraggingRightsReward Nor do you get anything by collecting all flags on every course in the horseback race minigame.]]* AndYourRewardIsInteriorDecorating: The daily downloadable puzzles allow you to pick from one of two furniture items to add to Layton's room after the first downloadable puzzle you solve and every 10 puzzles thereafter. After a while, you eventually start getting second chances to pick one of the previous items. And when you solve all the puzzles of a particular type, you earn an extra item themed around that puzzle.* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:The Masked Gentleman's ultimate goal is the Local Area kind, planning to bury Monte D'or and everyone in it under a flood of sand]]* ArcWelding: [[spoiler:It is revealed in this game that both the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter Golden Garden]] and [[Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva Ambrosia]], as well as the ruins of Akbadain from Miracle Mask itself, are legacies from the ancient civilization of Azran, which is going to feature heavily in the sixth game.]] It also hints that the [[spoiler:Hint Coins]], present from day one, may also be related to the Azran. Layton and Randall make a note of it when they find one in some ruins, and one of the collectibles is [[spoiler:an "Enigma Coin"; similar to a Hint Coin only silver and with an R instead of an L on it]]. Again, the characters comment on it; and it's the only collectible they do that for.* ArrangedMarriage: Angela was meant to marry the richest guy in Stansbury by her parents. Randall was the one (whom she truly loved), but when he disappeared, ''Dalston'' was the second option. She ends up marrying Henry who became the richest person. [[spoiler:Though she was merely acting as Henry's wife so her parents would stop bothering her, as she and Henry both believed that Randall was still alive somewhere and they waited all this time.]]* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Officer Sheffield's hilarious reaction upon entering the briefing room. --> '''Sheffield:''' How did all these people get into my briefing room? Who are these civilians?! Where's my tea?!* ArtEvolution: Outside of cutscenes, characters are actually modeled in [[CelShading cel-shaded]] 3D. Understandable, considering [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS the platform]]. If you wish to see their 2D models, the Profiles have the option for both 2D and 3D art.* ArtInitiatesLife: One of the Masked Gentleman's stunts before Layton arrived involved bringing paintings to life. [[spoiler:Like all the others, it's a trick. The paintings were prepared so their subjects (but not the backgrounds) would fade and disappear, and when that happened hired accomplices dressed as those subjects ran around the city, giving the impression that they escaped the paintings.]]* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Monte d'Or is located in a desert. In the UK. Anyone should know that [[PatchworkMap the UK does not have any deserts]]. * BackToBackBadasses: Randall and Layton sword fight a bunch of mummies like this in the Akbadain ruins.* BalefulPolymorph: The tourists that are turned into horses amidst the chaos during the festival. [[spoiler:It was an elaborate trick. There were hired people hiding horses wearing some clothes in the nearby alleys, pushing the horses out while everybody was distracted to make them think people turned into horses.]]* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:After Layton foils Descole's plot and exposes his plans, Descole replies that he had already won. It turns out he knew Layton would come to Monte d'Or and eventually solve the puzzle of Akbadain. In solving the puzzle, which Layton did with Descole (disguised as Angela), Layton unknowingly revealed the Nautilus Chamber of Akbadain (which was Descole's true goal). In the end, after being outwitted twice by Layton (in The Last Specter and The Eternal Diva), he decided to accept the fact that the Professor would solve the mystery and made it so that ''when'' the Professor solved it, Descole's true goal would be achieved!]]* BonusFeatureFailure: The DLC puzzles are this to many players. Since the weekly DLC puzzles in previous games were of the same fare you'd find in the main game, fans rejoiced when they learned that ''Miracle Mask'' would have ''daily'' DLC puzzles for a full year. The rejoicing was cut short, however, when players found out that, instead of the main game-quality puzzles they were used to, they got a mere 20 stock puzzles; the daily puzzles are just variations on these 20. And most of them are [[ItsEasySoItSucks incredibly easy]], especially in comparison to the oftentimes brutally difficult puzzles in the main game.* CallBack: In the stinger [[spoiler:Bronev mentions the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter Misthallery Garden of Peace]] and [[Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva The lost Kingdom of Ambrosia]] ]]* CallForward: ** Randall spent a great deal of time 18 years ago trying to get Layton as excited about puzzles and archaeology as he was. Not to mention the fact that the professor would chronologically go on to use many of Randall's lines as "Puzzle Solved" voice clips.** In one optional dialogue, Emmy speculates on what the Masked Gentleman's possible trick at an amusement park might be, like having the Ferris Wheel break off or the carousel horses come to life. Luke thinks any of those sound kind of neat - but he wouldn't enjoy the FerrisWheelOfDoom bit when it eventually does happen in ''Curious Village''.** During the sequence where Layton and the other detectives systemically talk through finding out how the Masked Gentleman completed his first three dark miracles, one of the options during the paintings-coming-to-life bit is chalking it up to hallucinogenic gas. The same thing the entire plot of Diabolical Box revolves around.* CelShading: Done in order to simulate the hand-drawn look of previous Layton games while taking advantage of the new hardware.* ChekhovsGunman: That puzzle-giving NPC who came to Monte d'Or in search of his foster son? [[spoiler:He's looking for Randall, being the one who took him in after he washed up with no memory of who he was.]]* ChekhovsSkill: We've known the Professor was a good swordsman since ''Diabolical Box'', but even so a scene with Randall and Hershel practicing fencing helps set up a later scene where they have to defend themselves.* ChildhoodFriends / FiveManBand:** TheHero: Randall** TheLancer: Henry** TheChick: Angela** TheBrute: Dalston** SixthRanger: Layton just because he had moved in when he was 15. After his arrival, he fit in as TheLancer while Henry served as TheSmartGuy.* CircusEpisode: The game takes place in the town of Monte d'Or, which is loved for its circus and amusement park. The game begins with a circus parade including jugglers, stilt-walkers, and a giant clown balloon. There are many {{Non Ironic Clown}}s to talk to, and one minigame involves training a rabbit to perform circus tricks. * CoolHorse: Layton and Emmy ride some while chasing the Masked Gentleman. Luke's donkey...isn't really that cool.--> '''Luke:''' Mine has something wrong with it!* CoolMask: The Mask of Chaos allows the wearer to ''turn people to stone and control gravity''. [[spoiler:Of course, the "miracles" all turn out to be tricks, but the design of the mask is still cool. It's also actually ''two'' masks.]]* CreatorCameo: Yuming is actually a cameo of Yumi Matsutoya, whose nickname is Yuming, the singer of the Japanese version's ending theme.* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:Angela Ledore behind the scenes sometime after meeting Layton for the first time in years (the time would be before "Angela" simply shrugged losing her pendant, which is a pretty important MacGuffin). Ultimately, she disguises herself to aid Layton without raising suspicion.]]* DarkSkinnedBlond: Detective Bloom. * DarkSkinnedRedhead: [[spoiler:Constant exposure to the sun due to working on the fields has made Randall into this.]]* DeadpanSnarker: Michelle, though she really does have a [[PoliceAreUseless reason]] for being like that.* EasyAmnesia: [[spoiler:Randall lost his memories as a result of his fall and eventually gave up hope of ever regaining them. Once Descole contacted him, however, Randall's memory returned in full.]]* EndgamePlus: When you first reach the epilogue, you can't explore, just look through the menus and trigger the ending. After seeing the ending you can continue the game, but this time you can move around. You even unlock the ability to change the time between day and night and switch between Stansbury in the past and Monte d'Or in the present.* EurekaMoment: Dalston commenting on being "left in the dark" helped Layton figure out the Masked Gentleman's amusement park trick.* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler:Randall Ascot]] as the Masked Gentleman, [[spoiler:though he was deceived into doing it by Descole.]]%%* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Randall Ascot.]]* {{Fangirl}}:** The NPC Madelaine is this for the Masked Gentleman.** Hannah, Grotsky's fangirl, returns from the previous game.* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Let's see: A carnival town, in the middle of the desert, with all sorts of attractions including an avenue of casinos with blinding neon lights. Monte d'Or is a British Laytonverse version of UsefulNotes/LasVegas.* FlashbackToCatchphrase: In addition to finding out about where Layton's interest in puzzles and archaeology came from, we learn that Layton's trademark "Every puzzle has a solution" catchphrase originally came from Randall.* Foreshadowing:** [[spoiler:Of Descole disguising himself as Angela. The first time Layton notices something 'off' about Angela is when him and the others visit the Ledores the day after first meeting Angela to go into Henry's study. When you check the couch pillow, what's the collection item there that you couldn't get the night before? The ''Captured Queen''.]]** A very subtle example comes from the [[spoiler:title screen. The background to the menus is none other than the Nautilus Chamber, revealed at the end of the game to be Descole's and, later, Bronev's true goal.]] But if you're playing it through for the first time, it's just a pretty pattern...* FunnyAfro: ** Layton sports a brown one in the flashbacks. ** The Masked Gentleman has one -- though he cuts it after his HeroicBSOD.* GhostTown: The town of Stansbury becomes this after the incident with Randall leaves everyone torn down. However, most of its citizens have moved to Monte d'Or.* GratuitousEnglish: ** "Mask of Miracle"? Thankfully fixed with the official English title, ''Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask''.--->"The city of miracle... Look how busy even at night. The city sure is sleepless."** The game's AnimeThemeSong "Mysterious Flower" is the first song in the series to have any English in it save the title of "iris"* GreaterScopeVillain: Even though [[spoiler:Jean Descole]] was behind the events in Monte d'Or, he's upstaged by [[spoiler:Bronev, leader of the shadowy Targent organization]] in the SequelHook.* GuestStarPartyMember: [[spoiler:Angela Ledore in the final puzzle of the main story. There's no way to see what her "failing" animation is, though.]]** [[spoiler:It gets horribly subverted, as that Angela who helped Layton and smiled ever so sweetly at the camera wasn't really the one you thought it was...]]* HeroicBSOD: ** After being told the truth about his relatives and friends, [[spoiler:Randall becomes utterly shocked and wishes to fall down the abyss just like he did a long time ago... but Henry won't have any of it]].** Angela becomes utterly broken once Randall is declared dead. The reason why she is strongly against the idea is because [[spoiler:she lost her brother, who was also into archaelogy, in a ruins expedition]].%%* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:Inspector Bloom.]]* HopelessSuitor: Poor Jean-Paul for Emmy. Emmy doesn't even seem to be aware of his fervent affection for her. %%* IronicEcho: "I've half a mind to tell the master!"* IronicNurseryTune: [[AgeInappropriateDress Puck]] mutters one after [[BadassBookworm Emmy]] suggests how a [[AmusementParkOfDoom funfair could possibly be dangerous]] which goes "La la-laa! Merry-go-horses running stray. I think I'd better staaaaay awaaaaay."* LightAndMirrorsPuzzle: There's a series of them in the daily downloadable puzzles, where you have to position mirrors to reflect colored beams of light a certain number of times until they hit matching-colored ghosts.* LongSongShortScene: These songs don't play for long enough in cutscenes, but thankfully both of these songs can be accessed through the Extras section:** [[spoiler:Descole's Theme, yet again.]] The game makes up for it by using the far better live version, though.** Layton's Theme, which is only played in one cutscene, meaning that you can't let it carry on for an unlimited time like in the dialogue, despite it being the ''theme song of the series'' (well, technically). * MacGuffin: [[spoiler:Angela's pendant is a very crucial piece that shouldn't be ignored if you're suspecting her.]]* TheManBehindTheMan: The Masked Gentleman was manipulated into his 'dark miracles' by none other than [[spoiler:Jean Descole, BigBad of VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter]].* MyGreatestFailure: Layton feels this [[spoiler:for not having saved Randall from his fall. This eventually breaks the entire town and changes everybody's lives forever.]]* MyMasterRightOrWrong: A positive example with Henry to Randall. This belief turns into a rather complicated theme 18 years later, and in the end, [[spoiler:Henry never stole anything from Randall.]]* NeverFoundTheBody: Henry's countless search parties always result in this, believing that Randall never died. [[spoiler:There was an underground river that broke Randall's fall from the beginning, carrying him away to a village where he got amnesia and started a new life before being told who he really was... from the villain.]]* NiceHat: Played straight during the sequences taking place in the present, [[ClothesMakeTheLegend of course]]. This trope is also averted during sections taking place in the past, as Layton doesn't have his famous hat yet. He ''does,'' however, have [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKvlpUd7Xx0 THE COOLEST AFRO OF ALL TIME.]]* PermanentlyMissableContent: The hint coins and collectibles in Chapter 6's ruins can't be obtained once you finish it, so collect them while you can.* PoliceAreUseless: None of the people of the city really have much respect for the police unless they're being helped by somebody else who ''does'' have experience. Michelle even snarks at how they surely jail the wrong people in a crime.* RagsToRiches: Henry. Dalston speculates that Henry used Randall all along to find the treasure for him. [[spoiler:While Henry did find the treasure in one of the expeditions he made, he used it to call adventurers to find Randall within the ruins. He had built the Reunion Inn as a base of operations with the money, and from there, the influx of people indirectly made him richer until Monte d'Or came to being over 18 years.]]* RealSongThemeTune: "Mysterious Flower," which is a slightly edited version of a song by Japanese singer/songwriter Yumi Matsutoya.* RedHerring: [[spoiler:The treasure in Akbadain is this, meaning to distract intruders from the real archaeological treasure.]]* RevengeBeforeReason: [[spoiler:Randall, but he was tricked into doing it by Descole.]]* SequelHook: ** The extra cutscene at the end of the credits heavily hints at the sixth game of the series revolving around the ancient Azran civilization.** The secret password from ''Azran Legacy'' adds another Sequel Hook cutscene into the bonus menu.* SoftWater: [[spoiler:How Randall survived his fall eighteen years ago.]]* TakeMyHand: Happens twice during the game. The first time, [[spoiler:Randall dangles over an abyss while young Layton tells him to drop the Mask of Chaos and grab his other hand before it's too late. Randall refuses to give it up and falls.]] The second is [[spoiler:a CallBack to the previous situation, with Randall once again in danger of falling and Layton telling him not to let go. Randall [[HeroicBSOD almost lets himself fall]], but Henry grabs his wrist as well, convinces him to keep living, and helps pull him to safety]].* TakenForGranite: The festival shows a lot of people turning to stone. Obviously, it proves to be fake. The trick is that [[spoiler:there is a carriage carrying stone statues hidden in the giant clown balloon.]]* TeenGenius: Layton, during flashback sections. Also applies to Randall, though he decides to [[spoiler:go on a frankly suicidal adventure through the Akbadain Ruins]].* TempleOfDoom: The Akbadain ruins. They're filled with murderous mummies.* TooDumbToLive: Randall, who decided it'd be a great idea to go on a dungeon crawl through unexplored ruins accompanied only by his best friend and with only two other people knowing where they were going or what they were up to. Even after discovering that the ruins' defenses were all still perfectly operational, he kept on going, which led to him... you guessed it: falling victim to the ruins' last trap. And of course, he could have gone through all of that and turned out okay, too... if he'd just listened to Hershel and dropped [[spoiler:that stupid mask]] so that he could give him his other hand, which he refused to do, for some unfathomable reason.* TheUnreveal: After the credits, [[spoiler:Descole is unmasked by Bronev, but Descole's servant throws a [[SmokeOut smoke bomb]] and saves him before Bronev (and the player) can see his face]].* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:Henry to Randall.]]* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Chapter 6 takes the form of a puzzle-based dungeon crawl with a top-down viewpoint. There are normal puzzles and hint coins buried around the floors, though.* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Two of them''! Not only is this the first Layton game for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, it's also the first to feature rendered characters and environments.* VillainExitStageLeft: TheManBehindTheMan, after a bit of villainous gloating, leaps away, while Layton and the rest stare close by.* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Masked Gentleman is attributed for being a reason why there are so many tourists in Monte d'Or. Madelaine is a very fine example.* VoodooShark: ''Miracle Mask'' mostly averts this for the first time in the series. Except for those wings...* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: During chapter 6, your only method of attack is to dig a hole for the enemies to fall into. Kind of justified in that both Layton and Randall were 17.* YouALLLookFamiliar: The entire police force looks exactly the same. Bloom [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]]. Oddly enough, the force doesn't look the same in the cutscenes. Some of the background [=NPCs=] (aka the ones you can't interact with) are cops that look distinctly different.----